A warm embrace
by jinnyjinjin
Summary: A new vampire student comes intothe school hoping to find new friends but she seems to harbour a mysterious past. Who is she? and how does she know Ichijou? Sorry suck at summaries, just read it and you will find out.
1. A warm embrace

First try at fanfiction. No harsh criticisms please. Tried to write it like those really good ones there but don't know if it was a success. This chapter is quite long as it sets the pace for the story. It will get more interesting as the story progresses on and the love deepens between the characters. Tried to portray Takuma's character a little different to the anime and manga because I wanted to show another side to him.

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, Takuma, Kaname and Aidou, in this story but I do own Eriko._

I crept out of my sleek, black limousine and I was greeted by a forest filled with colours of green and brown. This was my new home, Cross Academy, a place where they strived for humans and vampires to live side by side peacefully. I let out a sigh of relief and smiled. All the anxiety and nervousness I had before seem to disintegrate through into the soft green grass. That was how I wanted to live, an area where I wasn't restricted and limited off to certain people, a place where I would be able to make friends freely and not worry about rules and hatred between the bond between humans and vampires.

Even the stars seemed glad of my arrival as many of them had come out and twinkled for me or was it just that it was a different place…oh I didn't know and didn't care. I looked up to see the overwhelming brown buildings of the school. They looked ancient and carried an air of magnificence with them, ivy covering the buildings with a ruffled blanket of green and slowly making their climb to the towers, twisting and turning, reaching for the flag. I already longed to be in them carrying books, walking in the passageway and laughing with my new founded friends. I had dreamed and thought about this for many days and I realized that they weren't far off as I gazed at the school.

"We have to start moving into the building Madam," a bodyguard said roughly, "before the night ends or you will be too tired."

I turned my attention away from the school grounds. I slowly nodded. My heart beat rapidly as I took my first step into the school and the second. This was first appearance to my fellow vampires, how would they react to a new vampire joining them? Would they be friendly and welcome me or would they be hostile. I wished with all my heart that it was the first option and wished that my shyness wouldn't be a barrier between us. I started to walk into the shady forest with my train until the dark slowly swallowed us.

The walk had tired me and I knew it was too much for my fragile body but when wooden door stood in front of us, the fatigue melted away. The door was like two open hands welcoming me into a world which I hadn't ventured in. It looked both dangerous yet so drawing. I heard a knock on the door and realized that I was still standing outside the building. We waited for a few minutes and a realization hit me. What if they didn't want me here? What if they thought I was an intruder stepping all over their world? A cold wind wisped by as if answering me questions. I shuddered and put the scarf ,which was tangled around my neck, closer up my face. The air was crisp cold; it was the weather which my body couldn't handle as the algid made it hard for me to breathe. It was still in the middle of autumn but the weather was brumal and wintry. I inhaled and exhaled deeply and noticed it was a deep mistake as it sent me into choking fit. One of the bodyguards eyed me and I tried to smile back at him. I knew they thought me a bother to carry around. I sighed; I didn't want to make it worse for them by having them worry about my health.

Soon we were greeted by the opening of a door and a tall guy with long brown hair and brown eyes walked out and greeted someone. You could just see he was a pure blood vampire, so stunning and striking - the best out of the best. As though a radiant glow was shining from them to indicate that he was ruler. So many people he could control with one look. I gazed at him for a few seconds before realizing that it was me who he was greeting. I felt my cheeks heating up and going red. I greeted him back shyly and rattled on about how I was honoured to come here. After a few minutes I realized that the talk was boring him and stopped in mid sentence becoming more humiliated and embarrassed and ended off with thanking him. Already my first impression to this magnificent being was bad. I looked up and he smiled at me.

"Thank you for escorting her to the dormitory but I am sure we can take her from now," he said to the group of guards.

"But…" stammered the guards.

"I have phoned Takami and told him about the plans and he has given me orders to send you back" he interrupted the guard with a voice of authority.

My train abrogated and walked away into the forest of dark and vanished into thin air leaving me with the pureblood. This was my first time left with a stranger outside my safety box. I was alarmed and started fiddling ferociously with my scarf. I didn't know what I had to do and stood there dumbly fixing my scarf. I heard the creak of the door opening and…

"Welcome to Cross," he said, opening the door to my new home.

"Thank you, "I stammered, as I clasped the two hands into a new world.

I was greeted by a group of teenage vampires all beautiful and absolutely flawless. I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb as although I was a vampire, I knew I didn't have the grace and beauty of it. One by one they greeted me all trying to be friendly and welcoming. I replied with a one word answer. After greeting me they all returned to their classes

I looked up hoping the greeting thing had ended but there stood a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was a painting no a sculpture, an utter perfection. He was handsome. His blood red lips against his flawless, pale skin. But his eyes, was the deep blue that was only found in raging seas and seemed dangerous yet so mysterious and before I knew it I was getting sucked in.

"Hello, there, new girl," he said flicking a smile.

I soon realized that I was staring and quickly averted my attention to the floor. I had already made an impression of a rude, ugly girl to this guy. I was so embarrassed I wanted to creep in a corner and hide there forever. Yet I also wanted to know him more, he had started a craving inside me that I didn't have before. I wanted to stand there with him all day and just look at his faultless face and gaze at his eyes.

"Hi," I murmured cheeks blazing with red and my heart thumping against my chest.

He winked at me and walked away.

I looked up to see his sturdy back and watched him walk further away from me.

"Eriko," someone said, it sounded so similar to that person. I turned around, trying to calm my stammering heart down, and saw him.

"Ichijou senpai," I questioned and he nodded.

"Ichijou senpai," I shouted running into his arm, his warm embrace was the same, and I had missed it so much.

I lifted my face up to see his face and he returned the gaze by rubbing my head playfully. We stared at each other and Takuma broke the silence.

"Are you fine now, bubblegum," he said worry filling his eyes.

I nodded happily, Takuma was like my older brother. When I was young he used to take me on rides and I used to always tag along with him where ever he went. His nickname for me was his bubblegum as when he had to go I would stick onto him like a bubblegum.

He was like a pillar and I was drawn into him as he was someone from this world. He would come often and fill my empty soul with stories, amazing stories of this strange place. His eyes would light up when he was talking about this world. But one day I didn't see his figure walking up our driveway anymore, but I never gave up and waited patiently outside of our mansion. I stood there waiting as seasons went by. I never lost faith as he had made promise that he would stay by me and protect me no matter what happened, and he would never break a promise, not the senpai I knew. But as months went by, and years went by. I became worried. But he was here, safe and sound and next to me. I said a silent prayer in my head for protecting him and keeping him the same way he was. But where had he been? Why was he here? I already had so many questions to ask him. I didn't expect to see him here. It was a great surprise and relief to see him.

The months didn't seem to change his affections towards me as he engulfed me in yet a bear hug holding me closer to him and we stood there in each other's embraces.

"Come, let's go," he said, grabbing my hand finally and I followed his guide faithfully.

"Takuma," I said when we were alone in the passage.

"Yes," he said, turning around to look at me, his eyes searching me before I answered.

"No, its nothing," I said.

"Okay, just tell your brother if anything's wrong," he said.

"Takuma," I said again.

"Mm," he replied.

"I missed you a lot," I said forcefully

He then smiled and looked at me and replied "me too, I missed seeing you clinging onto my arms and screaming to me not to go."

I blushed, and became my shy self again.

"Don't ever leave me again," I whispered so silently so that he didn't hear me.

We walked through a long passage filled with doors that would lead to different dormitories. The walls were red and gave the atmosphere of a large haunted mansion. I shuddered and Ichijou stopped inn front of a door.

"This is your new room," he said," and you will be sharing it with Ruka and Rema.

I nodded and went in to my new room to see two strikingly beautiful faces that had greeted me before, stare back at me questioningly. I noticed there were three beds in the room – one in the far right side of the room, one in the far left and one in the far middle. The right was occupied by an orange headed girl. I knew she was a model as I had seen a couple of times in the magazine with another boy, she would be Rema. That meant the left was Ruka, I looked at her and sighed. I felt out of place, both were so very beautiful just like a vampire should be.

"Ruka, Rema this is my friend, Eriko," he said,"be good to her,

They nodded and I heard Ruka muttering friend something under her breath.

"Eriko, I am going now," Ichijou senpai said.

"Try to be good friends with them," he whispered in my ear beforing going.

I nodded.

He rubbed my head playfully and walked away closing the door quietly behind him.

I mustered all my courage up.

"Hi," I said lifting my hand trying to sound friendly so that I could be good friends with them.

Rema nodded and lied on her bed finishing what she had done before. Ruka looked at me and smiled.

I sighed a relief at least they responded.


	2. A fight

I closed the door behind me and stood there leaning against the door.

"I won't," I whispered softly, "I won't leave you ever again, Eriko."

I stood there for a longer bit of time and left. I was walking through passage but my mind was on a memory of when Eriko was young-of her running towards me, her black hair flowing behind herm showing me a bird that had fallen from the tree that was covered with blood. She was crying and cradling the bird. I remembered I was having a hard time trying to swallow my temptation but she had said something to me which I will never forget;

"Will she die, Takuma," she said choking on her tears, "tell her not to die, that we will get a doctor and fix her up."

She was not tempted to drink the blood nor was she giving me the blood to drink. She was worried about the bird. Although she came from the most miserable kind of animal on earth, an animal that only cared for feeding and nothing else. She had the compassion of a human. She was different, from us; she could feel and care more deeply than any vampire. It was a gift that would one day drag her into a great danger. I scrunched up my hand into fist thinking about what other vampires could do to her, or what my father or the council could do to her for being different just like he did many years ago.

No, but it was fine now. Eriko was here, next to me and as long as I was next to her, no one would do anything to her even if it killed me. No, nothing will happen to her.

I reached my circle of friends and dropped myself on a soft red sofa. Aidou looked at me and smirked.

"Who's the new girl," he inquired.

"A friend," I replied in a hostile tone.

"She's beautiful even for a vampire don't you think," he said nudging Kain.

"I think she's got it in for me, the way she was looking at me just now," he said jokingly, "maybe I should try my luck with her."

I tightened my fist and anger overtook me. What was Aidou going to do? Thinking about it made my anger boil more deeply inside me.

"I wonder how her blood will taste," he said staring at me, waiting for a reaction.

That was the last straw I had it in for Aidou and I punched him in the face and he was ready to attack me but Kain held him off and Shiki stood in the center. All of this happened in a few seconds as vampires only needed that time to…

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her," I snarled

"Or what," he sneered back, "what is a harmless date going to do, Ichijou, I'm not going to eat her"

And then Kaname ambled in.

"What are you doing? He said calmly. I bent my heads down and said nothing. Even Aidou calmed down and looked down sheepishly. Pure blood vampires had this effect on us and we just stood there feeling like we had done something wrong. Pure bloods had this immense power and most of them abused it, but not Kaname he was different. Everyone here obeyed him not because of his social status but because he was our protector and our friend.

"I see, I don't want this to happen again," he said looking calmly at both of us, "Takuma, come here I want to talk about Eriko's matter with you."

I felt Aidou piercing stare at me but I ignored it and followed him onto the stairs.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked keeping my guard. I was not going to let anyone know about the secret that Professor and I kept even Kaname. If I did she would be in trouble, and I could not let that happen ever again. There was still that memory of her next to the wall, her big Grey eyes looking up at me that were filled with fright. She was bleeding and I nearly had…and I smacked my forehead with my hand. No, nothing was going to happen again. The incident was not going to repeat itself after 4 years had gone.

Kaname opened the door and we silently went in. I stopped at the door and leaned against it while Kaname moved forward t his desk with those chess pieces and board. There was a new piece on the chess. It looked like a queen but I paid no attention. I couldn't stop Kaname's plans no one could even for that matter except maybe Yuuki.

"Eriko, what a strange name," Kaname began, "that was what Eito was going to name his child wasn't it,"

I flinched, but my expression was blank trying to give nothing away. Had Kaname already known? No he couldn't have their blood was indictable unlike others. My heart was stammering inside and I managed a weak smile and nodded.

"She even reminds me of Eito a little bit, her shyness around vampires," Kaname said.

"But you can't presume from something like that," I said trying to keep the tone cheerful although all I could feel was dread.

Kaname looked up from his board and glanced upat me. His stare was cool but his eyes hinted he knew more.

"Can't presume what," he asked and I realized that I had let something slip. I was unstable and looked down to my feet. I looked back up at him. I wasn;t determined to let this conversation be won by him because Eriko was concerned in it and if I didn't think straight she could be plunged into darkness.

"That she has any relations to Eriko, he was a pure blood after all," I said coolly.

Kaname nodded and lay his focus back into the chess piece.

"You can go now," he said

I turned my back towards him and turned the handle.

"Takuma, I wished you were more truthful, we are friends after all" Kaname said.

I stopped. So he had known. I sighed , I couldn't do anything now.

" I'm sorry, but this involves Eriko and if anything happens to her I won't know what I will do," I said brusquely closing the door beside me.


End file.
